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Drinking Before Playing?

#104
the amount of beer i drink before the set is usually inversely related to the quality of the bands preceding us. higher quality = less drinking.

i'm used to playing in NYC where even in a band you pay through the nose for beer. recently we did a tour through central PA and played at a joint in Altoona that gives bands $1 drafts and $4 pitchers. obviously i ended up drinking straight from the pitcher. one of the best shows i've ever played, there was lots of stuff to jump off. :D
 
#105
I'm one of those people who does not have a high tolerance for alcohol. I may have 1 beer before going on, maybe a second at the first break with water or diet coke in between. Even the second beer will sometimes be enough to cause a slight loss of playing ability. For those who consume a good bit before/during a show, try having someone record you when you've consumed your normal amount of alcohol, then next time have them record you while you're completely straight and sober for the whole night. Compare the two to see how much it actually affects you.
 
#106
butchblack said:
For those who consume a good bit before/during a show, try having someone record you when you've consumed your normal amount of alcohol, then next time have them record you while you're completely straight and sober for the whole night. Compare the two to see how much it actually affects you.
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I've done that and it doesn't affect me at all. I think the adrenaline balances things out a little for me.
 
#107
Haysoochreesto said:
I've done that and it doesn't affect me at all. I think the adrenaline balances things out a little for me.
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Yeah, some people have more tolerance for alcohol then others. However until you actually test you don't know for sure. My OPINION is that most people will play better when they're not half in the bag. How much alcohol it takes to get half in the bag is their individual tolerance.
 
#108
I used to get horrible stage fright in high school before going on (often before huge crowds at state fairs and stuff), until a drummer friend handed me a coke spiked with Captain Morgans. I didn't even drink, but it tasted warm and wonderful & chased the butterflies away. I still have a stiff Captain & coke first & it still has the same effect~ I play better with a little buzz.
 
#110
Haysoochreesto said:
I do this. I don't get Jim Morrison, falling down, blasted out of my gourd but I like a few drinks before playing a gig--2 or 3 or 4 beers. I'll also have one or two between sets for maintenance. I seem to have a firmly established window--there's a difference between being loose and relaxed and enjoying everything I'm doing as opposed to feeling all fumble fingered and uncoordinated. I know about the latter from my younger days and yeah, at our sax/keyboard's going away party in his backyard last month we all got a little too loose for comfort, but that was a really informal gig and in the end we still sounded pretty alright.

I know there's guys who are very serious and won't ever touch anything before playing and that's cool. But I've never noticed a difference in the quality of my playing from the recordings we've made at rehearsal and live shows.

Anyone else imbibe a little bit before playing?
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I guess when your older all that drinking stuff and getting lose makes no sense. I am an artist every song and every line is a part of the total package or my presentation. For me everything is planed. For example there might be a song when I am moving around a lot, or walking across the stage to share a mic for a background vocal , it's all planed and staged.

Another example, a few months ago I sawJeff Beck, a true artist.I garantee he is completely sober when he is on stage.

When your young,I guess you guys can get away with it.
 
#111
Yes. Some beers (I happen to have a pretty high tolerance) But I manage myself if I see other band mates going over what I consider their limit -- then I dial it back so I can better anchor the ship. If I have a late late set I'll shift to Jack and Coke for the caffeine...
 
#112
butchblack said:
Yeah, some people have more tolerance for alcohol then others. However until you actually test you don't know for sure. My OPINION is that most people will play better when they're not half in the bag. How much alcohol it takes to get half in the bag is their individual tolerance.
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What I meant was that I have been recorded both at rehearsal and live and there was no distinguishable difference. I've only been really drunk once and that was at backyard party for our keyboardist/sax player and even that went just fine. And that little gig was recorded too.
 
#113
bluewine said:
I guess when your older all that drinking stuff and getting lose makes no sense. I am an artist every song and every line is a part of the total package or my presentation. For me everything is planed. For example there might be a song when I am moving around a lot, or walking across the stage to share a mic for a background vocal , it's all planed and staged.

Another example, a few months ago I sawJeff Beck, a true artist.I garantee he is completely sober when he is on stage.

When your young,I guess you guys can get away with it.
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Nope. I'm 39, gonna be 40 in August. So... As I said, I don't get wasted and it doesn't seem like many other people here do either. Just a little buzz to relax.

And as far as famous musicians go, I think it's been pretty well documented that many a musician, from every genre has played many of their gigs wacked out of their gourds on everything from LSD to heroin to booze to pot. From seemingly untalented hacks like Nikki Sixx to superstars like Ray Charles. I personally don't think that's a good way to go on stage or through life in general; but that's not what we're talking about anyway.
 
#114
I get really hot (temperature wise) and have to keep water or soda on hand to keep from getting dehydrated, especially if there are alot of people in a smallish venue. Double that if there's alot of lighting on stage.

As such, booze would just make it worse. Plus, it screws with the blood sugar.

So, I guess I wouldn't make much of a blues man :(

Someone also made the point about not drinking before a day job, and the older I get, the more I agree. I've dealt with too many Jim Morrison wannabes in my day, and at this point in my life, I'd rather be playing with competent musicians than apologizing for them.
 
#116
I don't play any big gigs. Just small groups of friends and their aquaintances. Drinking is generally a bad idea for me personally because alcohol makes me impatient, and I get frustrated easier.
Also, the point was made about not drinking during practice. Why make the circumstances any different?

That being said, to each their own. :cool:
 
#117
I get terrible stage fright, so while I can play dead sober I'm usually very tense when I do. This is not a good recipe for for my best performance. A couple or three beers and I'm loose enough to enjoy the set like it should be enjoyed, and my playing is much better for it. If I drink any more beforehand, my stage presence gets more animated and my playing less tight at a slow but steady rate depending on my BAC.
 
#118
Well, I've only played a couple of gigs and I drank before and during both of them. My band only plays a 20-30 minutes set and we only stop a couple of times between songs long enough to take a drink. Our first gig, I had about 5 or 6 beers before going on and that was about 1 too many. I didn't make any big mistakes, but I felt a little too buzzed to play my best. Our last one, I had 4 beers before playing and took one on stage with me. I played great (it was recorded, so that's not the alcohol talking). I had a few more after we played (hey, there were 3 more bands to watch). I know 4 would be too many for a lot of people (like our now-former drummer), but I'm a bigger guy and have been building up my tolerance for years.
 
#119
I used to play in a band where we would all get smashed between load-in and our set, usuall headlining at midnight. As a new band, it was pretty horrendous, but after a few years of it, we got pretty good at playing drunk. We played a set at a huge warehouse party once, and didn't get on the stage until five AM! Of course we were all completely hammered by then, but we blew everyone off the stage. I listened to the recording, and it was actually pretty good. In all fairness, I think our drummer stayed at least half sober, so that helped. Being older and wiser, now, I think those days are well behind me.
 
#120
"I like a few drinks before playing a gig--2 or 3 or 4 beers. I'll also have one or two between sets for maintenance."
Let's add these babys up
4-before you hit the stage.
2-inbetween sets X4= 8.
So taking you're going 12-step during your set and abstaining your drinking
12-beers on a gig.
LOL
You are officially a drunk.

Good chance your pushing past the 200 mark and you lost your license long ago if you can't see your future it's pretty obvious to everyone else.
 

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